Biometrics refers to the calculation and analysis of characteristics that are distinctive to humans. As the COVID-19 pandemic remains rampant around the world, face-to-face interactions are strictly limited. This prompted many enterprises that require personal data from their clients to seek the help of companies that provide a comprehensive FIDO-based multifactor authentication solution for a seamless authentication process.
The growing need for identity proofing also paved the way for the development of different biometric tools that are way more secure and reliable than traditional passwords. But how did biometric technology evolve as we see it today? Here is a quick timeline of how biometrics came into being:
The 1960s
By collecting different physiological components involved in phonic sounds and acoustic, a group of scientists in 1960 successfully took the initial steps for the emergence of modern voice recognition technology.
The 1970s and 1980s
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States funded a project to create the first scanners capable of extracting fingerprints. Because of restrictions in digital storage costs during this time, the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) turned its attention to compression and algorithms.
The 1990s
The 1990s was considered to be the ground zero of the biometric industry. Different departments of the United States government joined efforts to work on more sophisticated face recognition algorithms that can be used commercially. The FBI especially spearheaded the campaign as they managed to create other systems for fingerprint identification and a database for storing and retrieving DNA markers.
The 2000s
Many industries saw the potential of biometric technology, that it eventually turned into a new field of study. West Virginia University started offering the first program of Biometric Systems and Computer Engineering. Researching biometrics is now more accessible between international organizations thanks to the help of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
If you want to learn more about the impactful events concerning biometric technology in the succeeding years, as well as other information about Fraud Prevention and FIDO 2, read the infographic below from LoginID.
